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The investor identified as the early backer behind Cognition and Ramp is Zach Frankel, a 37-year-old, low-profile investor. In an October 7, 2026 profile, The Information reports that Frankel invested in both companies and works closely with founders on strategy, hiring, fundraising and transactions. Frankel declined to comment, and the profile’s account of his investments and finances is reported journalism, not a public portfolio disclosure.
What does Zach Frankel do for Cognition and Ramp?
Frankel’s reported role goes beyond providing capital. Cognition CEO Scott Wu described their work as “very much block and tackling on particulars of strategy,” according to The Information. The profile says Frankel advised Wu on fundraising, product positioning and customers, and was involved in discussions around Cognition’s 2025 acquisition of Windsurf. Those accounts are attributed to Wu, Russell Kaplan and the reporter; they do not establish access to transaction documents.
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Founders at other companies described practical help with hiring, fundraising, investor introductions and mergers and acquisitions. Long Lake co-founder and CEO Alex Taubman said, “He supports founders in a way that’s pretty unique.” The profile characterizes Frankel as investing his own money without limited partners, but that is a reported detail rather than an independently verified financial disclosure.
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The profile traces some of Frankel’s relationships to the Research Science Institute and early ventures. He reportedly became the first investor and a board member at Paribus, the price-tracking service founded by Karim Atiyeh and Eric Glyman, and worked closely with them. After Paribus was sold to Capital One, Frankel joined the founders in starting Ramp. The account presents those long-running relationships as part of how his investing network developed—not simply as connections formed after companies became prominent.
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McEvoy also describes Frankel’s ties to high-school math and coding competitors as a source of technical relationships and recruiting connections. The article reports that more than a quarter of 41 U.S. high-school International Olympiad in Informatics competitors from 2010 through 2025 had founded, worked for or advised companies backed by Frankel. This is the article’s analysis; the retrieved account does not describe an underlying dataset or methodology, so the figure should not be treated as independently replicated. The examples illustrate a network, but do not show that competition connections alone explain any company’s hiring or success.
Why did the Cognition–Factory overlap raise questions?
The Information reports, citing a person with direct knowledge, that Frankel invested in both Cognition and Factory, which compete in AI coding. The story connects that overlap to Cognition’s hiring of Chris Degnan, described as a close Factory adviser, as Cognition’s chief revenue officer. It raises a question about how investors and advisers connected to competing companies manage potential conflicts.
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The reporting does not establish that confidential information was misused, nor does it report a legal finding of misconduct. The investment claim is attributed to an unnamed source, and the overlap should be understood as a reported conflict question—not proof of wrongdoing.
What earlier business episodes does the profile recount?
The profile describes Frankel’s brief time at Founders Fund, his early investment in Juul and his role as a co-founder of Better.com. It says he served on Juul’s board. McEvoy reports that court filings show a $70 million dividend connected with Juul’s 2018 sale of a minority stake to Altria; the figure is attributed to those filings as described in the article, not to a separate review of the filings here.
The story also recounts litigation, allegations, settlements and controversy involving Juul and Better.com. Those episodes should be kept distinct: allegations are not the same as adjudicated liability, and the profile alone does not establish legal responsibility.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why does Frankel keep a low profile?
The reason is not definitively established. People in Frankel’s orbit suggested security concerns, while angel investor Elad Gil offered a simpler explanation: “He’s just low-key. He doesn’t think he needs the attention.” Frankel declined to comment to McEvoy, so neither explanation can be presented as his confirmed motive.
The Information’s October 7, 2026 profile offers a reported portrait of an investor whose influence appears to come from a combination of early capital and close founder relationships. It is not a complete, independently verified portfolio record, and company investments, private valuations and relationships can change.
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